Eagles defense all over Patrick Mahomes
NEW ORLEANS — It was shockingly easy for the Eagles defense in the Big Easy.
Patrick Mahomes and back-to-back Super Bowl champions are not supposed to be treated with such disrespect.
From the very start, the big, bad Birds swarmed and swooped and swallowed up everything the Chiefs had to offer, which, as it turned out, was not very much at all.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is hit by Philadelphia Eagles linebackers Jalyx Hunt (58) and Josh Sweat (19) during the second half of Super Bowl 2025 on Feb. 9, 2025. AP
This was a blatant mismatch up front, with the Eagles playing bully-ball and thrashing and trashing a Chiefs offensive line that has been a weak link amid Kansas City’s 15-2 regular season.
The Eagles’ 40-22 victory in Super Bowl 2025 inside the Caesars Superdome on Sunday night was over and done with in the first half — there was no drama at all in this one.
It was 24-0 at halftime, and the unit orchestrated by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was so forceful that it sucked all the life out of any semblance of a three-peat possibility for the Chiefs.
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The 22 points on three Mahomes touchdown passes came after the Eagles put things away with a 34-0 lead.
Edge rusher Josh Sweat, an impending free agent, made himself some money with a huge performance with 2.5 sacks. Milt Williams had two.
AP
The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times and so badly humiliated the Chiefs offense that it was almost hard to remember that they won the past two Super Bowls.
In the first half, the Eagles nearly pitched a perfect game. They limited the Chiefs to one first down and 23 total yards. That is not a misprint. Twenty-three total yards!
The average gain for the Chiefs was 1.2 yards. They had three rushing yards. The Eagles did what they wanted when they wanted. They intercepted Mahomes twice, with rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean taking his back for a pick-six.
Yes, the Eagles were the NFL’s top-ranked defense this season. Still, seeing them completely annihilating everything the Chiefs wanted to do was astounding.
Eagles’ linebacker Zack Baun celebrates with Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker Josh Sweat after Baun intercepted a pass from Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes during Super Bowl 2025. AFP via Getty Images
The first quarter was dreamy for the Eagles and a nightmare for the Chiefs.
The Eagles allowed only one first down, 26 total yards and two rushing yards in the first 15 minutes. Mahomes was 5-for-9 for only 24 yards.
Nothing was going right for the Chiefs, and everything was working on defense for the Eagles.
Then came the second quarter. Rarely, if ever, have the Chiefs been dominated the way the Eagles threw them around like a bunch of white-and-red rag dolls.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes is hit in the face by Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter as the ball is loose during Super Bowl 2025. REUTERS
The Eagles led 10-0 when the Chiefs got the ball with 8:38 left before halftime. On first down, Mahomes was sacked by Sweat. On second down, Mahomes was sacked by Sweat and rookie Jalyx Hunt. On third-and-16, another sack of Mahomes would have been more tolerable for the Chiefs than what transpired.
Mahomes, getting jittery in the unstable pocket, tried to get the ball to DeAndre Hopkins but he never saw DeJean, who cut in front of Hopkins — the pass was never really close to being completed — and he was off to the races.
It was the first interception of DeJean’s NFL career and he made it one to remember, taking it back 38 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-0.
But wait, there’s more.
REUTERS
The second quarter obliteration continued when the Chiefs got the ball back with 1:49 remaining before halftime, backed up on their own 6-yard line.
On first down, Mahomes attempted what looked to be a safe play, dumping the ball over the middle to Hollywood Brown.
Once again, Mahomes did not spot a defender, as linebacker Zack Baun dropped in coverage and came up with a diving interception, plucking the ball just as it was descending to the turf. That set the Eagles up on the Kansas City 14-yard line and two plays later Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a touchdown, a 28-0 Eagles lead and the knockout punch.
How one-sided was this? When Mahomes hit Xavier Worthy for a 50-yard pickup late in the third quarter, it nearly doubled the total yardage for the Chiefs — they had 65 total yards up to that point. With 9:42 remaining, defensive tackle Milt Williams sacked Mahomes and caused a fumble that he recovered. The punishment of Mahomes and the Chiefs was nearing an end, mercifully.
